Recent Apple news revealed that the company has been slammed with a lawsuit by Caltech. The issue came from some iOS devices' Wi-Fi patents.
Mac Rumors reported that Apple and Broadcom were named as defendants in a legal complaint by the California Institute of Technology last week. This is over the purported infringement of some of its patented Wi-Fi technologies. The lawsuit was filed with the U.S. District Court for Central California.
Caltech's patents, which were granted between 2006 and 2012, are in connection with IRA/LDPC codes. These use simpler encoding and decoding circuitry which result to improved data transmission rates and performance. They are implemented in the 802.11n and 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards used in many Apple products.
Apple and Broadcom is accused of selling several products that use the said IRA/LDPC encoders/decoders. Thus, the four asserted patents are said to infringe on Caltech's technologies.
The iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4, iPad Mini 3, iPad Mini 2, Macbook Air and Apple Watch are believed to use Caltech's Wi-Fi patents. Apple also has other Wi-Fi products that use the encoders/decoders.
U.S. Patent No. 7,116,710, U.S. Patent No. 7,421,032, U.S. Patent No. 7,916,781, and U.S. Patent No. 8,284,833 are the asserted patents in the case. Caltech wants a jury trial against Apple and Broadcom. The university seeks settlement for damages as well as other relief that are "adequate," "just and equitable."
In Apple news by Engadget, Apple and Broadcom may end up following a trial or a settlement outside the court. This is because the technology is an important component to the 802.11n and 802.11ac WiFi standards.
According to Apple Insider, the tech giant has recently pulled out stocks of its AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule routers. It is unclear whether the move is caused by the Caltech lawsuit. It is highly likely, though, that the company is aiming to comply with a Jun. 2 deadline for FCC rules phased in since 2014.
